My organization, Catholics for Choice was the subject of a bizarre attack from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) this week.
Sister Mary Ann Walsh, the director of media relations for the USCCB, took to her blog in a pathetic attempt to discredit CFC as a legitimate voice for Catholics in the United States. She expressed concern that "sleepy editors" or "inexperienced journalists" would be taken in by us, simply because we describe ourselves as Catholic. She said that we are not Catholics and we don't know Catholicism. Walsh is sadly wrong on both counts. Any cursory visit to CFC's website will give a reader the opportunity to learn more about Catholic teaching and church law about reproductive health than would a visit to many diocesan websites. And as to my Catholicism, perhaps I'll send her copy of my baptismal certificate, though I doubt she'd be appeased.
But this is not just about CFC. It's about Walsh presenting herself as the arbiter of who's Catholic. It's kind of like letting the Tea Party decide who's American, isn't it? Just like them, Walsh doesn't let the facts get in the way of her message. With her ham-fisted blog, Walsh insults the hundreds of groups and millions of Catholics who choose to remain part of the church while raising legitimate voices of dissent.
Her appeal to guarding the "brand" of Catholicism is simply crass. The Catholic church is not Apple or Google, global corporations that zealously police the use of their brand, siccing corporate lawyers on anybody who dares use their name in vain. The church's brand control over individuals ends the minute a person is baptized. From that point forward, we have the right -- and the responsibility -- to speak as Catholics on matters of social justice, including those that involve sex, sexuality and reproduction. Understandably, this makes Walsh and her bosses nervous because all too often, the bishops haven't said or done the right thing on these issues.
We base our support for access to reproductive health services on the long-standing traditions within Catholicism. We are part of the great majority who believe that the teaching on the primacy of conscience means that every individual must follow his or her own conscience -- and respect the rights of others to do the same. As Catholics we take seriously our obligations to know and thoughtfully consider Catholic teaching. And in coming to our positions on abortion, family planning and other issues we have done so, and continue to do so. We didn't make this up. We've got saints, cardinals, theologians and millions of Catholics on our side.
As somebody intimately familiar with the ways of the church, Sister Mary Ann knows that nobody gets to say who is and who is not Catholic. Not the priests, not the bishops and not the pope. One is a Catholic after baptism. Period. She might have her own opinions about who is a good Catholic or a bad Catholic, but her claims that we aren't Catholic needs some fact-checking.
The good sister may be jealous of the media attention we get. She may be upset at the quality of our arguments. She may find the statistics that we use disconcerting. I would, if I were her, as they show that the positions taken by the bishops have been resoundingly rejected by Catholics in the pews. But it's interesting that she chose not to, or more likely couldn't, address the basis of our arguments. So she resorts to demonizing us.
Sister Mary Ann's rant was addressed to the new public editor at the New York Times, Margaret Sullivan. It seems that she thinks that a senior editor at the Times will be intimidated into ignoring the legitimate and widely supported arguments of those who are not granted the bishops' blessing. We know that we speak for the majority in the church. And we are happy to continue to forge our path, knowing that it is one that will be well-traveled by our fellow Catholics for choice.
As to Ms. Sullivan, and her many fine colleagues in the Fourth Estate, I am pretty sure they know that if they want the U.S. bishops' opinion on something, they can give Sister Mary Ann a call. But when they want to know what Catholics think, they know to call somebody else. CFC will always be happy to take that call.
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Kate Blanchard: Attack of the Spiritual But Not Religious
But I happen to disagree with you. The Catholic Church, headed by the Pope and the College of Cardinals have the absolute right to say who is and who is not Catholic. It's called "excommunication."
You will not leave the Church of your birth because what you really want is it's destruction. Remember Jesus promised that "the gates of Hell shall not prevail against" his Church. And Jesus does not / cannot lie.
They certainly do not represent Catholicism. There are specific ways of coming to know the content of the Catholic faith. There can be no mistaking what is Catholic and what is not if the proper steps are taken to discover the Metaphysical and moral content of the Catholic Faith.
Words have a certain integrity and definition or we are lost the vagaries of misuse and individual arrogance. For example, I cannot claim to be a Communist while asserting a belief in the existence of God. By definition one cannot be a communist and hold that God exists. Not only because of the explicit rejection of the idea of God within communist ideology but because a belief in God transforms communism beyond all recognition. A belief in God effects every other aspect of the communism as an intellectual, internally consistent paradigm.
Can you tell me what the Constitution says? No only the Supreme Court can tell me what the Constitution says.
Any Ideas and opinions that fall outside the formal teaching of the church or contradict such teachings are not Catholic in any formal or meaningful sense. Catholics who hold opinions contrary to Church teaching have no standing within the Church and are merely the (misguided or erroneous) opinions of certain individuals. The assertion of individual conscience as a basis to legitimize opinions contrary to Church teaching are based on a false understanding of conscience that is inconsistent with the Church’s formal concept of conscience has developed within church tradition.
The popular media is wrong to identify opinions contrary to church teaching as "Catholic". For it is the nexus point where Scripture, Church Tradition and the living Magisterium meet that defines what is Catholic and what Catholic is. Due to a lack of understanding regarding the Catholic Faith the media regularly fails to make the necessary distinctions and errors by giving equal weight and currency to personal opinions vs. a vs. the Church’s formal teaching. No individual or group can arrogate to themselves the truths of the universal Church.
Times have not changed. By the way their are non-Catholics who are more closely identified with Francis than many Catholics. Times have not changed.
I somehow doubt God really cares if you are Catholic, Baptist, Nazarene, Pentecostal, Mennonite or any other denomination.
I believe his concern is that a person is a Christian. Christ came and abolished the Jewish law, and set us free from having to follow rules and regulations. People just made new rules and regulations-probably because they have to have SOMETHING to fight over.
Silliness.
My recommendation to you is that you travel to the seat of your diocese and speak with your local ordinary. He is the one who can most counsel you on church teaching with regard to sexuality and reproduction.
Oh, and you might want to change your name to Espousers-of-Heresy-With-Baptismal-Certificates for Choice.
Joe Bonesto
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."
We are called to judge actions, not people. BIG DIFFERENCE.